Latest on Coronavirus
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2020) The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases worldwide has exceeded 100,000, including over 4,000 cases registered in 24 European Union nations so far. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday at its daily briefing that 2,736 new cases from 47 countries had been reported over the past 24 hours, also warning that children could be affected as well. The WHO also welcomed "aggressive" surveillance for the sake of pushing the virus back.
Slovakia, Serbia, the Vatican, Cameroon, Peru and Togo have reported the first COVID-19 cases, while the Netherlands has announced the first death.
Iran's number of infected people surged by a record-high 1,234 over just 24 hours, totaling 4,747.
South Korea's number of COVID-19 cases rose to 6,593 by over 800 over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Italy's COVID-19 total rocketed to 4,636, increasing by almost 800 cases over the same period of time.
US President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law the $8.3 billion emergency response bill for the COVID-19 outbreak.
The EU will pour an additional 37.5 million Euros ($42.37 million) into the research enabling COVID-19 vaccine creation, the European Commission's spokesman, Eric Mamer, said on Friday.
The United Kingdom will allocate 46 million Pounds ($59.8 million) for COVID-19 fight, including vaccine creation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday, as UK's number of confirmed cases reached 163, jumping by 47.
Russia has introduced a temporary entry ban for foreigners and stateless persons arriving from Iran, also suspending visa issuance for Iranians.
Russian space agency Roscosmos will restrict employee travel abroad starting next week in response to the spreading coronavirus disease, its spokesman told Sputnik on Friday.
A court in Moscow extended for two months the arrest of the prankster who imitated "coronavirus seizures" on the underground.
A woman in Ukraine's western city of Chernivtsi was held administratively liable for spreading disinformation about the coronavirus. She may now face a fine or corrective labor for "raising tensions in the society," the police said.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency in the country. Apart from that, entry to and exit from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, where coronavirus cases were recently reported, was shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Iraq, where the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases nears 40, has banned entry for travelers coming from France and Spain, bringing the number of banned countries to 11.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry warned the citizens against trips to Iran and South Korea due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease there.
Slovakia's emergency headquarters, set up on Friday after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the country, ordered cessation of air travel with Italy, a ban on school trips outside Slovakia, and a ban on visits to hospitals, orphanages, assisted-care facilities and prisons.
Argentina's major airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, announced it would cancel some of its flights to Rome.
Georgia has decided to suspend direct air travel with Italy.
Uzbekistan has delayed visits of over 20 different delegations to Italy amid the COVID-19 spread.
Japan Airlines will reduce the number of domestic flights by 684 more, as the country's total number of COVID-19 reached 1,112, increasing by 55.
Guatemala has declared a state of calamity in hopes of averting the spread of COVID-19 from neighboring countries, President Alejandro Giammattei said on Friday, as infections were recorded in several nearby Latin American nations.
The United Nations has canceled the meetings, expected to be held between Friday and April end in the run-up to the November's UN Climate Change Conference.
The WHO has reportedly discussed with representatives of international sport federations the possibility to hold the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with empty stadiums. Yoshiro Mori, heading the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, said the cancellation of the event was impossible.
The meeting of the Sudanese-Russian joint intergovernmental committee in the Sudanese capital has been postponed until further notice over the global COVID-19 outbreak, the Sudanese Charge D'affaires in Moscow, Onur Ahmad Onur, told Sputnik on Friday.
Five major international events � including the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference, and a festival for filmmakers from the Arab world � all� scheduled for March in Qatar have been canceled because of the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak.
Randolph Bell, the director of the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center, expressed belief on Friday that OPEC+ failed negotiations on deeper oil production cuts amid COVID-19 outbreak, and the subsequent oil price decrease would be beneficial for the worst-hit countries.
The Bollywood "Oscars" � the International Indian Film academy awards � has been canceled amid the outbreak.
South Korea's presidential office expressed regret on Friday over Japan's decision to introduce mandatory quarantine for people arriving from South Korea over coronavirus fears and warned about a possible tit-for-tat response.